


Family Celebration! Everyone's invited!

by Crooked_Mantis



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Gift Fic, House Party, Secret Santa 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-26 16:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13239933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crooked_Mantis/pseuds/Crooked_Mantis
Summary: Things have been pretty hectic in the Universe Household recently, so why not take time to relax with the family by hosting a nice party for everyone to hang out at?





	Family Celebration! Everyone's invited!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CompletelyDifferent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CompletelyDifferent/gifts).



> And a great thanks to airamcg, not only for setting up and organizing the event, but helping me proofread and edit this piece.

Peridot squinted at the makeshift paper card in her hands. “A party? Are you inviting me to participate in your political faction?” She looked up from her crouched position in the bathroom tub to give Amethyst and Steven a puzzled expression.

“Nope,” Steven clarified. “We mean like the celebration type of party! We thought it’d be good to have a fun little get together to have after, um, recent events.”

Peridot’s face remained muddled. “I need more info. What do people do at these parties?”

Amethyst looked shocked. “Woah, P-dot. You’ve never been to a party before?”

“I believe the practice sounds similar to a ceremony or Steven’s prior ‘Birthday Party’,” she mused. “But despite knowing of them, I admit I have never participated in any.” Her face soured. “Back on Homeworld, I never had the time to make alliances or the motivation to do anything beyond my assignments.”

Steven and Amethyst shared a somber expression with her. Until Steven perked up and said, “Well now you have a chance! It’s not just going to be us. We’re going to invite Connie and my Dad, and Garnet and Pearl will join us. And it’s going to be the best party ever!”

Peridot looked back down at the card in her hands. It was a ‘custom invitation card’ with colorful crayon pictures of several people standing in what looked to be the household living room. She identified one of the party members as herself, in Steven’s distinctive ‘no-nose, poor hands’ style, smiling brightly. “I- I can see you put a lot of effort into this.” She paused a moment before clearing her throat and announcing, “Very well. I shall join your ceremony of merriment! When do we begin?”

“Later tonight. Garnet and Pearl are already prepping the house. Maybe you could help ‘em out while we tell the others,” Amethyst suggested.

“Excellent!” Peridot beamed, scrambling out of the bathtub and grabbing her tablet off the counter. “Nyeh-heh-heh-heh! Assign me a task!” she called out the door. “I am participating!”

* * *

 

“Alright, next up, Connie!” Steven said, pulling out her card and dismounting Lion’s back.

Amethyst and Steven were about to reach the house’s front door, but Connie beat them to it. “Hey Steven! Hello Amethyst!” she greeted.

Priyanka Maheswaran stood behind her daughter, surveying the two. “Is it something serious or casual?”

“It’s a casual situation, Mrs. M,” Amethyst replied as they stepped onto the porch.

Steven held out the card. “We’re having a party!”

Both of Connie’s eyebrows soared up while only one of Priyanka’s did. “Who else will be attending?” the cautious mother asked.

“Aaah, it’s nothing to worry about! Just us Gems and Steven’s dad, purely family,” Amethyst explained.

Priyanka’s posture relaxed a little. “What’s the occasion?”

Steven looked towards his feet. “Well, we just wanted to have some fun together. Things have been pretty crazy recently and we thought it’d be good for everyone to have a relaxing get together.”

Priyanka gave a genuine smile at that. Connie gave a determined nod. “Then I’m coming for sure.”

Steven refreshed his posture and gave a warm smile. “Great! Can you come with us now?”

Priyanka nodded. “Yes, she certainly can.” Connie gave a thankful look to her mother and joined Steven and Amethyst as they got onto Lion’s back. “Have fun, dear!” her mother called out as the trio leapt into a pink portal.

* * *

 

When they came out the other end, on the sandy shores of Beach City, they were met by the sound of a vehicle driving by. They all looked back to see the Mr. Universe van driving in the opposite direction of the beach house.

“Woah, where’s Greg going?” Amethyst wondered aloud. She looked to the others with a smile. “I think I’m going to check it out, catch you two later!” She stood up almost effortlessly (very impressive, considering the terrain below her feet was the back of a running lion) and jumped onto the sand, landing in a spinning ball that raced after the vehicle.

Lion slowed to a halt, allowing Steven and Connie to dismount him normally. Connie looked to Steven as he helped her down. “I get that this party is kind of meant to be relaxing for the sake of it, but I feel like there should be something to celebrate. Like an event to base it around.”

Steven brought his hand up to his chin. “Hmmm, you’re right. Maybe it’s celebrating the joys of being with family?”

“I’ve never heard of a celebration with a theme that abstract, but I think it fits for what we’re doing.” Connie considered leaning against the thick pink fur behind her. Suddenly, her eyes widened with realization. “Oh! I have an idea!”

“For what?” Steven asked.

Connie grabbed Steven by the shoulders. “For a way to make the celebration even better!”

* * *

 

Connie and Steven entered the house. Everything seemed to be properly set up. The counter was lined with snacks and treats to place on the provided plates, cups and drinks were lined up on the living room table, and multi-colored balloons hung from the rafters. Pearl and Garnet were resting together on the couch when Steven and Connie entered.

“Hello Connie!” Pearl greeted.

“Right on time,” Garnet remarked. “Greg and Peridot will be back shortly with the beats.” She turned her head to look at the pair directly. “I also Saw that you two have a surprise for us.” The pair froze, eyes wide for a moment before Garnet gave a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I don’t know what it is. I stepped out of the vision before you revealed it to us.”

Steven gave a sigh of relief. “Good, we’ll have to wait for everyone to be here for it though.”

Pearl fidgeted with her fingers. “Well then, to pass the time, why don’t we play a game? Anything of your choosing is fine.” She pointed to the cupboard where they keep Steven’s countless board games.

Connie took a peek inside. “Hmmm, most of these are ones I have at home. Well, except for Operation. Mom doesn’t approve of that one.” She put her head further into the storage space, shuffling boxes around. Suddenly, she gasped. “Steven, you have Lutes and Loot?!”

Steven scratched at the top of his curly hair. “I do? I don’t remember the name.”

“Was it the one that was based around complex human fantasy legends?” Pearl asked.

“Yes! That’s it!” Connie exclaimed excitedly as she pulled it from the cabinet.

Pearl nodded. “I remember Steven was five years old at the time I purchased it. The problem came when I realized it was labeled for ages ten and older. I figured we could play it then, but I’d forgotten about it since.”

Connie laid the box onto the couch, admiring its cover picture. “I’ve only been able to play it a few times, but it’s been a lot of fun each time. And I’ve always wanted to try the role of Story Developer.”

“I don’t see why you can’t do it now,” Garnet remarked.

Connie looked at her in awe. “Really? You want to play? It has a pretty complicated setup.”

“I’m sure we can figure it out,” Garnet said.

* * *

 

Peridot came storming into the screen door holding a boombox overhead. “We have retrieved the music rectangle from the containment unit!”

“Uh, storage unit,” Greg corrected, walking in with Amethyst not far behind. They all turned to the living room table to see the drinks and cups moved to the floor and replaced with countless papers, pencils, and dice.

Each player was designated to their own side of the rectangular table, Garnet facing Steven and Pearl facing the Story Developer, Connie. “The Stoic Stone Bearers, in their quest to smite the—”

“Ahem,” Steven interrupted.

“Sorry, in their quest to _convert_ the Mighty Crimson Hydra to the side of good, have come across a village of tiny creatures that are in need of fresh water. The small creek that once flowed through their land has recently dried up. Could this be the work of the Hydra’s many—”

Pearl was raising her hand, throwing Connie’s narration off balance. “Apologies, but how are these tiny beings able to communicate with us? Even if they spoke our language we might not be able to hear them.”

“They aren’t that tiny if they’re drinking from a small creek,” Connie pointed out.

“And we can see they need help. There’s probably like a small trench where the water used to flow,” Steven piped up. “And so Stevon must be all like ‘Ah! Thy poor lads, thoust have’th no water!’” he said in his best 16th century bard accent.

“Right.” Connie nodded. “So, what do we plan to do about this?”

“Stevon votes to investigate the water problem!” Steven cried.

“Mearl votes to inspect the creatures and discover their intentions,” Pearl offered.

“Keep moving,” Garnet replied.

Everyone at the table looked to the fusion.

“...If this really is the Hydra’s doing, dealing with it will solve the creatures’ problem. Waiting around only prolongs their suffering.”

Connie blinked. “I guess that does make sense. Okay then, Garnet, roll for how well your character, also named Garnet, will move past them.”

Garnet gave the d20 die to Connie. “You do it.” She held out her palms for all to see. “I’m carrying sensitive cargo.”

“Oh, right,” Connie blushed. She clasped her hands around the die, shook it up, and tossed it onto the table. The others intensely watched it roll.

It rolled onto the number one.

“Noooooo!” Steven yelled dramatically. He turned to Connie, tears already on the edge of his eyelids. “Please don’t tell me we crush them.”

“Uhhhh...” Connie’s eyes darted around the room until they landed on the more than confused company still standing at the door. “Oh hey, the others are here! Looks like we’ll have to continue this another time.”

“Oh?” Steven hummed, looking to see the others. “Oh wait, the surprise! Connie, we gotta go get it.”

Together, they ran past Greg and the Gems, giving a quick, ‘We’ll be back!’ before closing the door and heading down the deck’s stairs.

While Greg and Amethyst shared a confused shrug with each other, Peridot inspected the board games’ box. Her eyes growing wide at the games descriptions of adventure and fantasy.

* * *

 

While Steven and Connie were out, they sent a text to Greg saying, 'Feel free to start without us, this may take a while!' followed by several heart icons. So they set the boom box to the radio, and began to socialize around the now cleaned living room table.

Peridot discussed with Greg at length about the wonders of the new garden she was setting up under the Sky Arena. Greg actually shared some good advice with her about fertilizing and caring for plants. He informed her they were tips he fondly remembered learning during his childhood, and then noted he should probably call Uncle Andy again soon. Garnet was answering Amethyst’s questions about the Lutes and Loot game she had apparently missed out on. And Pearl was just happy to clean dishes and listen to the idle chatter.

Peridot silently noticed the smile on her face, and felt warmth rush through her. “This is fun. I’m having fun,” she commented quietly to herself.

“Of course you are, Shorty!” Amethyst mocked as she pulled a surprise noogie on the green Gem. Peridot was moved, both by the gesture and the unexpected weight that came upon her head. The two of them ended up leaning too far forward and dropped to the floor with a thud.

“I’m okay!” Peridot signaled, her thumb sticking out from under the table.

Suddenly, the door opened and in came Connie and Lion. Pearl walked over to greet them, but noticed something off. “Oh, welcome back Connie... Where’s Steven?”

“He’ll be here with the surprise in a moment,” she replied.

“Ah, this is where I left off,” Garnet commented to no one in particular.

“What _is_ the surprise?” Peridot asked, patience clearly wearing thin.

“Well, we came to the conclusion that this party is all about family. About meeting with loved ones and celebrating the good times we’ve had over the years. And families change. Sometimes old faces leave and sometimes new ones join, so—”

The top of Lion’s mane began to glow.

“—here are some new additions to the family!” she announced, stepping back as a pair of hands arose from the portal. Everyone else gasped in shock.

A red head, swarmed by peach hair popped out. All the other Gems tilted their heads in confusion. The stranger looked around, before being shoved out completely by some unknown force. She landed ungracefully on her face and laid on the ground for few seconds before saying muffledly, “So this is Earth! Oh my, what lovely new faces! The future is looking bright!”

Before anyone had the time to respond, another figure arose from the pink mane. “Padparadscha? Are you alright?” asked the newcomer, a fusion of what looked to be a Ruby and Pearl. She grabbed the Sapphire off the ground and held her up to her face. “Speak to me.”

A moment of silence occured before the Gem’s response. “Another vision! It warms my core that Rhodonite will continue to be nothing but kind to me.”

Amethyst held out her hands to Connie. “Woah, woah, woah. Are you sending all the Gems you met on Homeworld here at once?”

Connie looked just as surprised as Amethyst. “Oh no, I guess I didn’t clarify during my discussion with Steven. I’d better send him a signal.” She began to climb into Lion’s head. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization. “And before he sends in Fluorite!” She hurried in, leaving the room silent with confusion and shock.

“...Ooooh, that _would_ be a grave error!” Padparadscha exclaimed.

* * *

 

“So you were just like, hiding from laser beam robots in an abandoned Kindergarten for hundreds of years?” Amethyst asked, still in awe. Rhodonite had just explained the story of the Off Colors to the group, while Peridot was busy inspecting Padparadscha in the corner occasionally asking, ‘Do the visions always occur in succession?’ ‘Can you tell me when you feel this poke?’ ‘What was your kindergarten like?’

“Well, Padparadscha and I joined up with Flourite and the Rutiles quite some time ago,” Rhodonite said, inspecting some of the food laid out on the counter. “It’s hard to tell how long when you can’t even see the sky.” She pointed to a bowl of almonds. “What purpose do these serve?” Quick as whip, her finger lurched back from them. “Are they dangerous?”

“They’re a form of food, humans consume them for sustenance,” Pearl informed.

Rhodonite suddenly focused her eyes on Pearl. “You,” she said suddenly. “You don’t carry yourself like normal Pearls... You’re free.”

“Y-yes, I fought hard for that freedom,” Pearl stuttered, unprepared for the sudden attention.

All four of Rhodonite’s eyes rose. “You fought?!?”

“More impressively than any Quartz we had on our side,” Garnet added.

Pearl’s face was heavily tinted blue, she attempted and failed to cover it with her hands. “Garnet, don’t go embellishing my past again.”

“But it’s all true,” Garnet retorted.

“Oooooh, how amazing!” Padparadscha called out from afar.

“Pad believes you,” Amethyst snorted.

“Garnet...?” Rhodonite whispered to herself. “Ruby remembers that name... OH!” Everyone turned to Rhodonite, confused by her outburst. She looked up to see their stares, and suddenly shrank back. “Sorry, I just...” She focused in on Garnet’s hands and nearly gasped. “I just realized who you are.” She giggled to herself, both out of joy and nervousness.

“Wait,” Greg suddenly interrupted. “Don’t tell me she knows about Stell-”

“Greg, I know what you’re going to say, and no. We do not speak of that name again.” Confused looks were shared across the room, but Garnet ignored them.

“You’re the fusion that appeared in Blue Diamond’s court at the start of the Rebellion! Legends have been passed down from Ruby to Ruby about that day, though every one of them has a different opinion,” Rhodonite elaborated.

“I think I can guess yours,” Garnet smiled, tipping her shades down to look at Rhodonite directly.

Rhodonite nodded. “I think that tale helped me— uh, us? Them?— to make the decision to escape together.”

It was Garnet’s turn to blush. She put her shades back in place and smiled brightly. “I’m glad. I’m very glad to hear that.” Rhodonite clasped her lower hands together, while her upper hands clasped her own cheeks.

Abruptly, Lion’s snoozing form produced a glow and Steven came back out of his mane. “Alright everyone, Connie’s going to bring the others in a moment, but we all need to head outside for that to work.”

It was at this moment the Rhodonite realized there was a door out, a windowed door, that showed an entire body of water steadily rising and falling against a sandy shore.

“Outside?” she gasped in wonder. Padparadscha looked over her shoulder to see for herself. They slowly approached the window together and stared, speechless.

Steven’s eyes shone with stars, a bright smile on his face. “Yeah! You guys are going to love it. Ooooh, I can’t wait to get the others!” he exclaimed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crude looking yellow treat. “Here, Lion! It’s Lion licker time! Follow meeee!”

* * *

 

Once everyone had gathered. Connie and Steven introduced the Rutiles and, with some difficulty in transportation, Fluorite. A bonfire was started and another social session ensued.

“So, how long have you all been together?” Greg asked, staring up at the large caterpillar-esque fusion.

“Ooooh, as Fluoooorite, I’d haaaave to guessss... at leeeeast one milllleniaaaa,” she responded.

“Woah, that’s ten whole centuries! Congratulations!” he grinned.

A warm smile slowly fluttered Fluorite’s features. “Thaaank yooooou.”

Amethyst and Steven spent part of the time socializing and the rest making sure Peridot wasn’t bugging anyone about the conditions of their creation, especially not the Rutiles.

Garnet and Pearl sat with Rhodonite and the Rutiles and answered their many, many questions about the Earth, about the Rebellion, and about Fusion.

Padparadscha was rolling in the sand, touching the water, and nearly touching the bonfire on occasion. Her usual oblivious smile, quickly grew to a wide grin and she punctuated every comment with a joyous laugh.

* * *

 

The stars. He’d never really given them much thought before, but now he was navigating them.

The Bridge was barren and unlit. The entire ship set to camoflauge. Alone on the center chair was the infamous caped captain himself. He sighed to himself. He used to enjoy off time like this. But now he was restless, and couldn’t sit straight if he tried.

With leisure time like this, his mind had nowhere to wander but back home. It was where his crew was at the moment, hopefully enjoying themselves. He entertained the thought that Steven might take them to the Big Donut. What a twisted scene that would be, his crew members exploring his place of work.

Would they meet Sadie? They’d have to. She’s the only one running the place anymore. What would she think of them?

What will she think of _him_?

He stretched, and groaned. Opting to idly stare ahead, rather than to think ahead. But then he felt it again, something was coming through the portal in his head. It dropped on the ground before him. A freshly laundered and folded purple—

No. It couldn’t be.

A note followed after the item. He grabbed it out of the air and read it aloud.

_“Dear Lars,_

_I didn’t want to leave you out of the Celebration we’re having, but I don’t think it’s possible to bring the full party to you. And you’d probably rather slack off anyway.”_

‘Ha ha, I wish,’ Lars mentally quipped.

_“I asked your parents if I could give this to you, and they agreed to let me, along with a nice message of their own. You probably won’t need to wear it again, but I thought you might like to have it as a memento. And after the party’s over, me and Connie plan to come back for another space adventure! We look forward to seeing you then!_

_With love,_

_⋆Steven⋆”_

Lars chuckled. Steven was always an endearing kid, he couldn’t deny that, at least not anymore. He looked down again to the old uniform lying on the ground. A half bitten donut stared back at him. He picked it up by the collar, gravity unfolding the rest for him. Something clattered to the ground as he did. He looked to the sound’s originator to find a wooden picture frame, luckily undamaged despite the short fall it took.

Picking it up, he could see the picture clearly now. It was the picture his family took on his first day of school. His hair was a ridiculous, poofy mullet he thought was going make him look so cool at the time. He was even trying to strike a manly pose, in spite of the large, doofy backpack his parents had picked out for him. His parents were in the frame as well, thanks to their timed camera. They looked like they wanted to be closer to him, but his ‘tough guy’ pose would’ve been awkward to hug around. They smiled their brightest anyway.

Lars’ vision began to blur as he read the words going around the frame.

_“Be back soon! We miss you. -Mommy and Daddy”_

Tears hit against the glass. “C-Come on, Lars,” he whispered to himself. “Don’t be a crybaby. Not now.” He choked on his words.

He hugged the frame to his chest, and felt warmth amidst the cold vacuum.


End file.
